Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Slovakia on Friday to discuss with leaders of the Eastern European country Kiev’s application for NATO membership and to speed up arms supplies to allies. On the same day, the Ukrainian leader will fly to Ankara for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“Zelenskyy arrived this afternoon at the invitation of Slovak President Zuzana Caputova,” the president’s spokesman, Martin Strizinec, told AFP.
On Thursday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy received strong support from the Czech Republic, which has become one of the NATO countries included in the program of the Ukrainian President’s trip to the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance. The main objective of the tour is to gain support from allies for Kyiv’s bid for NATO membership.
Yesterday in Prague, Zelenskyy again called on Kiev’s allies, including the United States, to provide long-range weapons to help defeat Russian aggressors at war with Ukraine.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said his country would welcome Ukraine’s membership of the European Union, adding that Prague would support the country’s NATO membership “as soon as the war is over”.
“I am convinced that the future of Ukraine is in the European Union, the future of Ukraine is in NATO, and this guarantees that a situation like the one we are experiencing in Europe will not happen again . The Czech Republic is ready to provide maximum assistance,” Fiala told a joint press conference.
“I hope, I believe that President Zelenskyy will be able to personally attend the Vilnius summit, and I expect that all NATO allies will clearly support Ukraine in its quest for membership, and the President can certainly count on the voice of the Czech Republic.”
Fiala promised to transfer combat helicopters and hundreds of thousands of high-caliber ammunition to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy hailed a “powerful and very timely new defense package”, but said the country needed more weapons as Kiev counter-offensives now to regain control of territories occupied by the Kremlin.
“Without long-range weapons, it is difficult not only to perform offensive tasks, but also to carry out defensive operations,” Zelenskyy said. “First of all, we communicate with the United States on the supply of long-range systems, and today it is up to them (to make this decision).
Volodymyr Zelenskyy will arrive in Ankara immediately after the completion of negotiations in Bratislava.
The Ukrainian and Turkish presidents will discuss on Friday a possible extension of the Black Sea grain deal and a possible prisoner swap between Moscow and Kyiv. Reuters reported this with reference to a source in the Turkish government.
A key element of Zelenskyy’s Istanbul talks will be the fate of a deal brokered last year by Turkey and the United Nations that allowed grain to be safely exported from Ukrainian ports across the the Black Sea despite the war raging across the country.
The Kremlin said it would follow the talks closely, adding that Putin highly appreciated Erdogan’s mediation in a bid to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
“As for further contacts between Putin and Erdogan, we do not rule them out in the foreseeable future,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Russia, unhappy with some aspects of the implementation of the grain deal, has threatened to block its further extension after July 17.
In addition to the grain deal and a possible prisoner swap, Erdogan and Zelenskyy will discuss efforts to end the war, according to a senior Turkish source.
Erdogan and Zelenskyy are due to hold a press conference at 6:00 p.m. GMT on Friday.
A Turkish source said Erdogan may have a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin after talks with Zelenskyy conclude. The Turkish minister may also travel to Moscow for further talks, the source added.
Read the Ukraine War News Latest Today on The Eastern Herald.
